BREKKER

My heart is a battering ram against my chest, the beast already howling for release inside me, and my bride-to-be isn’t even on planet yet.

I want her.

The past weeks have staggered by, marked by bouts of barely checked bloodlust during the height of the moon and restless, sweaty hours during the Hallec.

The only thing that has done the bare minimum of keeping my beast away is the thought of this human female choosing to come here and mate with me.

Ever since those first test results, I thought a mate was off the table.

My sister’s grinning at me openly, her canines glinting sharply in the setting sun as we wait on the landing pad for the shuttle bringing my new bride to Wulfric.

“You look excited, Brekker,” she says sweetly. Too sweetly.

I growl at her.

“Even your growl sounds soothed by the idea of her.” She laughs as I swipe at her, dodging the playful blow. “I think you owe me a thank-you.”

“We’ll see,” I grumble.

I don’t want to tell her she’s right.

I don’t want her to hear the real truth of it: I’ve been obsessed with the mere idea of the human woman since the moment Tessa displayed her holographic likeness in my office.

The shuttle breaks through Wulfric’s atmosphere with a fiery starburst in the sky high above, disrupting the otherwise peaceful moonrise. My back stiffens, and I strain to see it, as if staring right into the fiery descent will help me determine how much of a mistake this Starlight Lottery woman will turn out to be.

Or how right, a little voice whispers in my head. My beast, barely held back by sheer willpower, wants this woman to be our mate.

I grunt, shifting my weight, and Tessa throws me another amused look.

I don’t glance her way, instead focusing on the shuttle, growing larger and closer by the second. The time it takes to land seems to both pass in the blink of an eye and take an entire lifetime.

The landing pad absorbs the shock of the interstellar vehicle, and I practically vibrate with the need to see her.

To scent her.

To know if my beast will accept her, if it will settle him.

If she will settle me.

How is it I can want someone so badly that I haven’t even met yet?

Hope is a dangerous thing.

When the shuttle’s door begins to open, pressurized air hissing out of the opening, my heart leaps into my throat.

The first being out, though, is male, and I glance away, trying to relax, trying to calm myself. I’m acting like a Wulfric on the verge of their first hunt, all hormones and anxiety, and not like the leader of my clan. Not like the husband I should be to this human woman.

She will need someone to guide her into our society.

She will likely be afraid.

I turn, taking a few steps, then pacing back.

A musky, earthy scent hits me, my nostrils flaring. I’ve never smelled anything so mouth-watering, so delicious and perfect.

I hope it’s her.

Slowly, my heart sluggish and blood thick in my veins, I make myself face the shuttle again. My molars grind against each other, and there⁠—

There she is.

I go completely still, memorizing the notes of her scent, the play of the setting suns on her hair, her skin. Bright red silk wraps around her body, gauzy swathes of it barely concealing the beauty of her curves, her slender waist and the elegant roundness of her hips. She walks down the ramp, paying careful attention to her steps.

A growl rises from my chest as the defined muscle of her thigh flashes through the fabric.

I want that fabric on the floor. I want it in my teeth and claws. I want it around my hips as I rut into this woman.

“Good thing I had the staff ready the cabin. You look like you’re ready to run away with her already.”

“I—” There aren’t words. My throat works as I try to form them, but her scent wafts to me again. Another growl rips from me, unbidden. “Yes,” I finally manage.

The woman stops at the end of the ramp, staring up at me with those sad, luminous eyes. There’s something in them I didn’t see before, though. Something that sets my blood on fucking fire.

I see determination.

And I see hope.

And I fucking like what I see.

Before I can think better of it, I’m striding toward her, my wolf, the beast inside, settling slightly the closer I get to her. She’s smaller in person than I imagined, the top of her pretty head barely reaching my shoulder.

It makes me want to protect her.

“I am Brekker of Clan Claw,” I tell her, pounding one fist over my chest. “You are to be mine.”

I try not to wince. That’s not exactly what I meant to say, and it is not at all what I planned on saying.

A blush colors her pale cheeks, though, and she looks up at me thoughtfully.

Something like heat passes through her eyes.

Hopefully, it isn’t wishful thinking. Hopefully, I’m not imagining it.

“I’m Aileen.” She stops a few feet away from me, holding her arms around her body as if it will keep her in place.

Her musky scent turns more sumptuous, spicier. Excitement and relief war in my chest, because there is no denying it. Aileen, the little human, is aroused.

Tessa clears her throat. “I’m Tessa. I’m Brekker’s sister. Come on, we’ll get you situated.” She casts a critical eye on Aileen, and I suppress a snarl. My sister is not competition, not in the least.

“Sounds good. Nice to meet you.” The human does a strange bob of her knees, and we both tilt our heads at her, confused. “Right.”

“Come,” I tell her, reaching for her, unable to stop myself.

What has gotten into me?

I don’t have to wonder, though. Not really. It’s her. My soon-to-be wife.

The need to shift, to claim her, surges through me, and I bite my cheeks, curling my hands into fists so hard my claws draw blood.

Tessa shoots me a look full of meaning, gaze slowly dipping to my hands.

“Are you all right?” she asks. A faint hint of amusement curls around her mouth.

“Cut myself on something earlier,” I lie.

“Right,” she says.

Aileen simply looks between us, clearly dismayed. I want to curl myself around her, my protective impulses firing at full force.

Instead, though, I offer her my elbow.

She stares at it, dismay further coloring her cheeks. White teeth flash as she nibbles her bottom lip.

“He wants you to hold on to his arm,” Tessa offers. She gives me the same dirty look she would give me when we were pups and I’d disappointed her. I’m only glad she doesn’t dare kick me in the shins the way she used to.

“Oh,” Aileen says softly. Her eyes slide from my outstretched arm to my face.

There’s something wild about her, something untamed along with that sadness, and I am completely intrigued by everything about her.

I do owe my sister a thank-you.

Especially since she readied the clan lodge for me… and for my new bride. My blood grows hotter at the mere thought.

“So, when is the wedding?” Aileen asks.

I begin to answer—and then her fingertips brush against the skin of my forearm, and I go stock-still.

A cernos caught in the claws of a predator, unable to move at all.

My beast rages against me, and I cage him, fighting against the need to grab her by her wrists and make her submit to us both.

Tessa sighs, then grabs my soon-to-be wife by the waist and steers her away from the launchpad.

Behind her, the crew of the shuttle are unloading the trunks of her belongings, and a roar rips from my mouth as they glance her direction.

“The wedding is tonight, and then you are off to the clan lodge to get to know one another,” Tessa supplies.

Aileen is staring at me with wide eyes, her lower lip bloodless where she’s sunk her teeth into it.

“Don’t worry about him,” Tessa tells her. “He’s just excited you’re here.”